subway

The All-Star Game approached quickly.

This year’s All-Star Game was held in A City.

The four major regions—European FEC (European Esports Federation), North American FNC (North American Champion Series), South American FSC (South American Champion Series), and Russian FRE (FIRE Russian Esports Federation)—each sent star players to form top teams, and had arrived earlier.

A certain cultural and arts sports stadium in A City.

There were still eight hours until the official opening, but fans and media had already packed the place.

The organizers had done a great job with the warm-up, opening up parts of the venue for visitors, where they could buy small light boards for cheering or player commemorative booklets.

Surrounding hotels were already fully booked, and some fans who couldn’t secure tickets or shared rooms had even prepared sleeping bags and tents.

All players traveled discreetly, using a dedicated secure channel.

The EGT four, however, took the subway, expected to arrive last.

Xue Wei didn’t have a subway card for this city, so they first took him to get one.

He clearly hadn’t been to this subway station before; he couldn’t even find the right direction, heading straight for the exit upon entering.

Wanshi then remembered to ask him: “In A City, if you don’t take the subway, you’d die. How did you get here before?”

“Came by train, then took the bus,” Xue Wei said, “My hometown is very small; there’s no subway.”

Wanshi gradually understood: “Oh, so you haven’t ridden it before?”

“I rode the subway once before.” Xue Wei’s hands were in his pockets; his voice showed no fluctuation, “At that time, the people with me helped me with everything; I just followed him. I don’t know the process.”

“Then just follow us; there’s a seat over here,” Zhao Xiaoyi scratched his head. “It’s over an hour on the subway. Can you handle it?”

After Xue Wei had barbecue with them that day, he had suffered from vomiting and diarrhea for several days straight, scaring them so much they almost collectively dragged him to the hospital for an IV drip.

However, Xue Wei seemed very experienced with such matters.
He pulled out probiotics, Montmorillonite powder, and saline solution from his suitcase, self-medicating.
He mostly slept, with no other major issues, and they finally felt somewhat at ease.

“He’s so lethal online, but so fragile offline,” Wanshi said, still a bit shaken.

He had played one round against Xue Wei the day before yesterday and had his head blown off.
Who would have thought that someone so aggressive in the game would be so frail in real life?

Everyone gave up their seats for him.
Xue Wei didn’t refuse.
He found a seat by the railing and settled down, leaning against it.

He had lost a bit more weight these past two days.
Although still bundled up in a thick mass, his wrists were thinner, and his pale fingers gripping the railing looked as if they could snap with a gentle squeeze.

He rested his head against the railing, and due to discomfort, actually fell asleep for a while.

Perhaps it was the swaying of the subway.
Between sleep and wakefulness, he felt as if he had returned to the past, to the first time he had ridden the subway.

That was in Germany, during the European World Championship.
That subway line was under renovation and was quite old.
The carriage smelled of paint, the light was bright, and the train swayed.

He sat in his seat, looking out the window.
The man opposite him wore a work jacket, his medium-length hair tied back in a small bun.
He had his legs crossed under the table, wearing dark short boots.
On the table between them were several stacks of papers, densely covered with tactical notes.

Perhaps he was even more aloof and silent then than now, and he had a handsome East Asian face.
The staff thought he was alone, checking his ticket and repeatedly asking if he was safe.

He lifted his eyelids, his dark eyes looking over.
The man in front of him smiled, his peach blossom eyes brilliant and expressive, telling the staff in the local language, “This little one is with me.”

The man seemed to know a bit of every strange language, speaking a mix of German, English, and Chinese.
He actually chatted with them and managed to make them understand him.
He chatted from “FIRE is a great game” all the way to “Do you watch the World Championship?”
Carried away by the conversation, the man even blurted out a few “Right, right.”
The staff were so charmed they were dizzy and even asked them for autographs.

“Mine too?” Xue Wei had been looking out the window until the man pushed the paper in front of him.

The man said: “Mm.”

He glanced at the signature area; it was a flourishing English script.

CHN.Pretty.

At that time, there was no national team, and China didn’t even have a professional league.
Due to a copyright dispute between the previous agent and 《Fire》’s official team, this globally popular game couldn’t be launched locally for a very long time.

He pulled off the pen cap.

His ID at that time was [ICE], ice and snow.

He looked at his handwriting and slowly wrote accordingly.

[CHN.Ice]

“Um… excuse me, are you professional players?”

Xue Wei opened his eyes, roused by the question.

He looked up and saw a couple standing in front of him.
The girl held her phone, timidly asking Wanshi, but her gaze lingered on Xue Wei.

Both members of the couple wore cultural support shirts and had painted stickers on their faces.
The girl had a national flag on her face, and the boy had a black and gold rose on his cheek.

Chinese team fans, and most likely personal fans of Wen Man.

Zhao Xiaoyi said: “Yes.”

“Ah! I knew it; I had an impression! He played in last year’s spring season starting lineup. At the time, I felt you were the fiercest assaulter in the league,” the girl actually remembered Wanshi.
She was a bit excited, “I used to be an EGT team fan.”

They all felt a bit awkward.

‘Used to be team fans.’

Now, EGT team’s official merchandise sold 12 items a month, probably still collected by a team member’s family.

But the boy and girl in front of them, perhaps even older than them, had only pure excitement and joy in their eyes.

“Long time no see! You’re also playing in the All-Star Game, right! Looking forward to seeing you!” the girl asked, “Can I take your photo? As a souvenir.”

“Sure,” Wanshi said.

They had long since lost all pride.
In the league, failing to make the playoffs was embarrassing, and a team so bad it could only serve as a practice squad was a disservice to the audience.
They once thought being cursed, being told they were disappointing, being criticized was the most painful, but now they knew that being ignored was the most painful.

Because that meant no one expected anything from them anymore.

The girl stepped back half a pace, adjusted her posture, and the few of them leaned in closer for her to take the photo.

Xue Wei was still leaning against the railing, feeling dizzy.
Dangdang sat next to him, leaning closer, and gave a peace sign over his shoulder.

“Buddy, look at the camera.”

Xue Wei then looked up at the camera.

He was fully bundled up today too.
Since a scarf was inconvenient, he wore a high-neck windproof down jacket, a small black leather hat, and a black mask.
The dark color, however, highlighted his cool tea-colored hair and his distinctly black and white eyes.
His eyelashes were long and curled, making him look like a vintage porcelain doll with a winter theme that had wandered into the scene.

Soon, the EGT members’ subway group photo quickly appeared on the nearby real-time channel.

Many of the people taking this line at this time were going to watch the All-Star Game.
Since yesterday, people had already been continuously posting venue photos and pictures of encountering pro players.

Trending #1: [Met the national team’s Big Three near the underpass! Captain Wen, Alan, and the head coach, but unfortunately couldn’t get closer due to the security cordon!]

In the image, Alan looked over, his face squarely in view.

Wen Man was turned sideways to the camera, head slightly lowered, seemingly talking to the head coach.

He wore a very simple autumn team uniform, a undershirt inside, and his sports jacket casually draped over his shoulder.
Dark green earrings hung down, paired with his sharp peach blossom eyes, revealing a hint of wildness and roguish charm.
Around him, students also wearing national team uniforms gathered in small groups.

The picture was blurry, but its popularity had already topped the charts the moment it was posted.

“Captain Wen is devastatingly handsome; every time I see him, I’m captivated all over again.”

“Sisters, go see him live. He’s truly breathtakingly handsome in person! So many people greeted him then, and Captain Wen walked right past me, but I couldn’t utter a single word. His aura is too strong!!”

Trending #2 was a picture posted by SSQ Ming Xu himself, without a caption, and a large number of fans swarmed to it.

Trending #3 was this EGT team photo.

The young lady’s Weibo post captioned: [Met the EGT team on the subway with my boyfriend! They were very nice and cooperative, let us take photos!]

“EGT? Sounds familiar but can’t recall. Is there such a team in the league?”

“Practice squad! They made it to the playoffs two years ago, and their ranking wasn’t low.”

“Wow, other teams get picked up by luxury cars, but they actually take the subway… So tragic, I’m going to follow them.”

“Is that handsome young man leaning against the railing in seat one also from their team?”

“Yes, I think so. Holy crap, you didn’t mention it, and I didn’t even notice, but his eyes are so pretty.”

In the picture, the young man was fully bundled up.
Just looking at his face shape and those almond eyes, he was so beautiful it was heart-stirring.

“Who is he? Within one minute, I need to know his ID!!!”

“Don’t know, sis. Their official account stopped updating two years ago. Only Wanshi made it to the playoffs, I recognize him, but I don’t recognize the other three!”

“It can only be those three: Yee, Duang, or Now. One of the three.”

“Rule out Now first. If he looked this good, he definitely wouldn’t be afraid to stream without showing his face. My blind guess is Dangdang.”

“Then my blind guess is Yee? Yee is only eighteen this year, right? Should be a bit younger. I’m placing my bet!!”

Someone also suggested: “Maybe they’re not even pros; maybe they’re family members they brought along. As everyone knows, NOW went to the national team; he shouldn’t still be in EGT, right? They might just be bringing someone’s internet-addicted little brother…”

The online debate raged, and the popularity soared.
Currently, no one had guessed correctly, because the initial general direction was wrong.

The EGT members finally arrived at the venue half an hour before the opening.

Xue Wei was a bit uncomfortable—he also got motion sickness on the subway.
As the four entered, the venue lights were dimmed, and the stage performance was getting into position.

Zhao Xiaoyi, flashlight in hand, kept saying “excuse me” as he dragged Xue Wei through the crowd.

After sitting down, Zhao Xiaoyi suddenly noticed something and almost had a heart attack.

He whispered to Xue Wei: “Nao—nao, right in front of us is European FEC. I saw their names on the seats; the one in front of us is God Knife, Knife!!!”

“Naonao?”

Xue Wei was curled up in his seat, his fingertips pressing against his stomach.
Hearing Zhao Xiaoyi speak to him, Xue Wei looked up and smiled: “Mm, I know. I’ll ask him for an autograph later.”

“Naonao, if you’re not feeling well, should I take you back first?” Zhao Xiaoyi said this while keeping his eyes fixed on the center of the arena.

Xue Wei shook his head: “I’m not going back. I also want to see the opening ceremony.”

“Alright then, if you feel uncomfortable again, remember to tell me.” Zhao Xiaoyi’s voice was quiet.
He was still looking around, “Naonao, National Team Two is to our lower left. You can familiarize yourself with them first.”

“Let me look for National Team One… Oh, they’re diagonally opposite. But they all seem to be trainee seats. God Wen isn’t here, huh.” Zhao Xiaoyi looked again, “Found him! His name is in the guest area, closest to the broadcast director. He’ll be on stage later, I suppose.”

Xue Wei wasn’t listening very attentively.

The spasmodic pain in his stomach hadn’t subsided, a continuous dull ache that could only be relieved by bending over and holding the hot water cup in his arms.

After the magnificent performances, the All-Star lineup was introduced.

Music rose.
On the vast, dazzling stage stretching as far as the eye could see, a holographic projection appeared.
Gorgeous animations burst forth.
A figure on the ground leaped into the air, fired a gun mid-air, and a dense black mist bloomed in the distance.

The stadium was filled with deafening cheers and screams.

“God Knife! God Knife!”

“This is the spectacular clutch kill made by the global top free agent Knife in the World Championship finals. He is the core of the team, the eyes of the team; everything on the battlefield is taken in by him. Every bullet he fires is a priceless information shot; he is the nightmare of 99% of snipers in global leagues. The European FEC championship dynasty was founded by him.”

The lights came on, and Knife himself briefly appeared in the darkness.

On stage, the lights dimmed again, leaving only a small spotlight for the audience to see the bullet marks—where the bullet had passed through, the air was torn, and the black mist gradually expanded, forming a vortex.

From within the black mist, an M82A1 appeared.

Even on stage, the gun’s appearance alone possessed a daunting visual power—the strongest firepower penetration; the only gun in 《FIRE》 to date with penetrating damage.

Flames spewed from the muzzle.
The owner of the gun was temporarily unidentifiable, but a line of people in the distance had already fallen in response.

The cheers in the stadium reached their climax.

Audiences in the back rows couldn’t even control themselves, standing up and showering the air with confetti, the scene becoming momentarily chaotic.

“This is the first time this scene has appeared this year, and in the history of the league—”

Before the commentator could introduce him, the shouts from below had almost drowned out the stands.

“Pretty! Pretty!”

“In the semifinals’ match point round, he was caught in a 1v4 clutch situation, alone. In the mist, he shot through four people with one bullet, directly ending the game and securing match point. His name is known to all. If there is a pinnacle for snipers, he is that absolutely unstoppable pinnacle. If his goal is to establish a 《Fire》 dynasty here, then we must say, he alone is the dynasty of CHNC (《FIRE》 China Professional League). His enemies call him—the cold black mist on the battlefield.”

The M82A1 was gently holstered.
The man walked out from the black mist, and the lights illuminated his perfect face.

Like a deity, his entire being glowed.

Wen Man raised his hand in a gesture, smiling slightly.

The opening ceremony successively introduced the attending players and representative scenes, followed by the schedule for the next few days.

Although there was no substantial content, the spectacle alone was breathtaking enough.

After the program concluded, the stadium lights came on.
Zhao Xiaoyi was still slumped in his seat, sweating: “So handsome, so handsome, my scalp is tingling. I’m going back to rewatch the live replay; the organizers were really extravagant this year.”

Xue Wei stood up, covering his stomach: “I’m going to the pantry; you guys head back first.”

The hot water in his thermos had already cooled.
The stadium’s heating was strong, but he still felt cold.

The backstage was also cordoned off.
Xue Wei was stopped by staff.
He fumbled in his chest for a long time, and only after pulling out his ID badge was he allowed through.

Xue Wei unwrapped a strawberry white chocolate and put it in his mouth, freeing his hand to get hot water.

Just then, someone else came beside him, making hot cocoa.
Xue Wei glanced.
The person was a tall man with silver hair and blue eyes.

God Knife, Knife.

He glanced at him.
The other party also glanced at him.

Knife was stunned for a moment, then said in stiff Chinese: “You are…”

Xue Wei finished filling his thermos with hot water and held it, glancing at him without speaking, and walked straight away.

“Knife, what are you looking at?” Behind him, a teammate came to call him, “Time to eat.”

“I was looking at someone. I have an impression of him, even though I’ve only seen him once.” Knife suddenly asked, “Where’s Pretty? He was just here; I need to ask him. I definitely saw that young man just now, at the European World Championship, many years ago.”

His teammates looked around and shrugged: “Don’t know, he seemed to be here just now. Their people seemed to have left first.”

It was known in the professional circuit that, despite their fierce rivalry on the battlefield, Knife and Pretty had a very good personal relationship.
At that time, European FEC offered a huge sum to recruit Wen Man, and entrusted Knife to persuade him, though it ultimately wasn’t successful.

Xue Wei walked out.

His thermos’s insulation coating was a bit damaged; it was very hot to hold, almost impossible to carry, so he could only hook it by the edge of the lid with two fingers, slowly waiting for it to cool down a bit.

The hotel wasn’t far from here, an easy walk.
From backstage, there was a security passage directly to the parking lot behind the hotel; people from other teams used this path.

The path was now somewhat deserted, with only a few scattered staff members.
There was a very narrow alleyway at the entrance to the passage.

Xue Wei approached the alleyway and heard muffled voices inside.

“I’m not intruding on your work time, I’m asking, have you really never thought about it?” The girl’s voice sounded delicate and aggrieved, with a slight sob. “They all advised me against it, but I insisted on doing it. I quit my job to work in the gaming industry because you said it was too far before. Now I’m close to you. What’s your answer?”

It seemed he had accidentally stumbled upon someone’s confession.

Xue Wei didn’t have a habit of apologizing for such things.
He held his thermos and quickened his pace.

“Sorry.”

The man’s voice was very low, relaxed, and magnetic.

Xue Wei’s footsteps paused slightly.

He saw the people inside—a girl in a small cocktail dress, and a man.

The man leaned against the wall, wearing a sports jacket draped over his shoulders, a cigarette between his fingers, the faint light in his peach blossom eyes very noticeable in the night.

As Xue Wei passed him, he smelled the scent of lime on him.

He lowered his head, burying his face deeper into his collar, gripping the thermos tighter with his fingertips.

“Hey, you.”

The man’s voice suddenly came from behind him.
The protagonist of the scene suddenly detached himself from it.

Initially, Xue Wei didn’t know he was calling him until he felt a hand grip his wrist.

Xue Wei turned his head, meeting a pair of deep peach blossom eyes.

“Which team are you from? Where’s your ID card?”